Made it to Cali After the Strikes Ended...Great!

Elder Welling (back 4th in from left) and fellow ZL's in Cali with Pres & Sister Prince after the strikes.

                                                                               
                                      

Elder Welling doing push ups during Zone Leader Conference-awesome!

                                                          

ZL meeting altogether in Cali (Elder Welling is in back to the left)

Monday
March 18, 2013

Hey family! This week was long, but awesome! So, it started out on
Monday and buying the tickets to go to Cali. That was awesome! 

So on Tuesday morning with other missionaries we got on the bus to go to
Cali. But, talk about the slowest bus of my life. But oh well, it was
all good, chillin and talking with my bro and other missionaries was
awesome! 

We finally got to Cali at 1030pm in the night. We had to
send all of the missionaries that were with us to their assignments to
stay during the night. So, we took a good amount to the assistants house, 

then with a lot of suitcases at 1045pm, we walked to the Torgersons house, 

and had a quick dinner then hit the sack. It was awesome seeing them! 

They are an awesome family. 

SO then the next morning in Cali I headed to the offices of the mission

to go to the airport with my comp Elder Rivadeneria who is awesome to drop off
a missionary that going to the mission La Paz Bolivia. Pretty cool! SO then 

we chatted and stuff, had a good time. I tried to get a Tie from the people who
work at Avianca but they didn't give me one....:( lol SO then we drove 

back and went to the 2nd happiest place on earth.......you guessed it
McDonalds! It was so good. We met up with Elder Lamareoux and another
missionary. 

SO then we ate and went back to the office and chilled
waiting for the Consejo de Lz at 3.00 That was cool!! Talked a lot and
had a good time. Overall was a success. Then we headed out and went
back to the Torgersons to sleep and Celebrate Elders Torgersons
birthday. Was grreat!! We had a good time, then went to bed and
headed out on another bus at 8am. 

We got back to Ipiales at 1030pm in the night.....wow, long!!! 

But all is good. On friday we did some interviews for baptisms and 
stuff. Then on saturday there was a big Noche de Blanco and 13 people 
got baptized! Was great! 

Then yesterday evening we had one of the most difficult and spiritual 
lessons in my life. The family we are teaching were fighting and things.
But after a long time we solved it with them and went home to our place. 

Overall, it was great with my new companion. He is great, and we are 
going to do big things here in Ipiales!!! 

Love you all and miss you!

-- 
Elder Tyler Welling

The Strike is Over..A Great Week!!

Elder Welling trying to feed the sweet horse. He said they are smaller in Colombia

Monday
March 11, 2013

Hello family and Friends. 

Por Fin the strike was lifted....FInally we
can go to Cali...which I am going to do tomorrow! SO, this week was
solid! Didn't get to do too much work, and I will explain why. But,
overall great! 

So, didn't get to do to much work, because two days we
were running and doing errands for a couple that is going to get
married then baptized. SO awesome! But, they said they'd be in the park
....(20 de Julio) at 2 and didn't get there til like 4...both days...
Finally, we finished doing the errands today and everything went 
really well. 

I am over my sicknesses thanks to all of the prayers and special fasting
that you all did back home!! Thank you so much!!! 

Yeah, things are going good here. We had an investigator named Andres who
couldn't get baptized, because his mom never gave him permission. But we
went to the house on Thursday, talked to his Mom and his family for
about an hour. And we got the permission so he could get baptized. It was
awesome. SO cool, let alone a huge miracle! SO that was awesome! 

He had has interview on Friday then got baptized on Saturday.....Pics to be
coming..hah But, overall things are great! 

I am excited to go to Cali and see all of the missionarys there. 

Should be great. SO, I don't really know what else to write. We should have 

a great month. 

I AM EXCITED FOR MY NEW COMP, TOO, Elder Rivadeneria...He plays the
violin super well!! 

Hope everything is great back home and that
everybody is doing well. Thanks again for all your prayers and fasting!!! 

A special baptism day

Love you all......                       

-- 
Elder Tyler Welling

Special Fasting and Prayers for Elder Welling's Mission

                  Special Fasting and Praying for Elder Welling's Mission

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

From Sister Prince's Blog:

The Power of Prayer...

As seen in my last posts, the coffee and trucker strikes 

have been headline news in Colombia.

We are blessed to have the gospel...we believe that the Lord hears the prayers of those praying for their missionaries.  No pictures in this post...but I wanted to share the following emails that have warmed our hearts and increased our faith.

Received on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Dear Hermana Prince...

I belong to a wonderful Missionary Mom site for our Colombia missionaries (including all our Cali Missionaries). We have been communicating today about your situation with all the strikes going on.

I wanted to let you know that we are all praying together for you all to be safe, protected and well, for peace and for the strikes to end.
We are all holding a Fast tomorrow together for you all. We are also putting yours and Pres. Prince's names and your mission on the temple prayer rolls. 

This night we learned that they lifted the truckers stike and opened the road to Buenaventura.

Received on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Dear Hermana Prince, 

I just wanted you to know that we (all parents of your missionaries, our familes and friends) Fasted and Prayed together for you all yesterday. We also put your names (the temples let us put Colombia Cali Mission and you and Pres. Prince) on temple prayer rolls around the world, including some in South America. We had and still have faith together that Heavenly Father will bless you all with safety, well being and a peaceful strike settlement soon - we will keep praying and having faith!

We love you all! 

This night we learned that the coffee strikers and government came to an agreement and will move the blockades on the roads....The strike is over.  


Colombia news reports:
"Never in the history of coffee has there been an agreement like this," said the Minister of Agriculture Juan Camilo Restrepo.

I like to believe that they have NO IDEA how powerful missionary moms and prayer can be.
"...they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them....We do not doubt our mothers knew it."  Alma 56:47-48

A side note:

We did evacuate 20 missionaries from Popayán over the course of Thursday and Friday.  They were flown into Cali via Bogotá...a fun adventure for them.  We now have them working hard in Cali and waiting a few days until we move everyone back.  Buses are started to move from our Southern cities.

It looks like transfers will happen on Wednesday...only 2 weeks late!!  

Elder Welling Super Sick, Colombia Strikes

Monday

March 4, 2013  

SOOOOOO,this week was superduperlame. I will tell you why. So, first off I don't 
have my new companion yet, because the roads are closed here in Colombia
and it is super lame. They have been closed for a week, and some towns are really
struggling. Secondly, I was sick about every day this week. First with my stomach
again. After that I think I got a type of strep throat, lost my voice,and then I got

an infection in my eye. It was basically swollen shut. So that was awful! 
It is still pretty red. Now my new name is Elder Partche.....lol, because I have had

to wear an eye patch. I look like a pirate..lol. But other than that I am doing well. 

Some elders in our zone had 6 baptisms yesterday, so that was awesome! Everything 
is basically going really good. I was working in two zones this week, which was a
bit hard. But overall it was fun. 

I have been getting shots in my arm the last 3 days for the swelling.... 

Whether the shots are working or not I do not know..lol.  

But I am doing good. Sorry this letter kinda not exciting,but
there really isn't too much more to say...lol 

I am reading the Book of Mormon and writing a summary of every chapter...I am also 
going to set a goal to finish the Bible in Spanish before the end of my mission....

We'll see if I can endure to the end..haha. But overall things are good. 
Love my mission. I know it's true! 
That's all. 

Blazer, Lazer and Tazer.

-- 
Elder Tyler Welling

Solid, But Slower Week in Ipiales

Monday
February 25, 2013

Hey Family and Friends,
How are you all doing? I am doing great, because the Zone Ipiales turned out to be the best Zone in the Mish!!! muhahaha.
But here everything is good. I had another baptism this past week with my comp, Elder Calle. so we are doing good. But also, last night we received our changes/transfers. I am staying here in Ipiales and Elder Calle is heading back to Cali. My new companion will be Elder Rivadeneira. He is cool, I know him. He came to Colombia with me/arrived when I did, and he plays the violin super good. So, should be awesome. He is from Ecuador.
So, not much happened this week, because we had to do a ton of errands and interviews for baptism and many things. But it was a great week overall. Today we had to do a lot of errands for an investigator to get married on the 8th. Hopefully she can get married by then and baptized on the 9th. We will see. haha. The marriages are always tricky here.
I don't see why they can't update their files and transfer to computers here. Is it really that hard?...everything is by paper.....lol But all good.
Umm, idk what to say much, sorry this letter is bad. haha. Just know I love you all and miss you all...


Here is the picture of our baptism. 

--
Elder Tyler Welling